Fairgrounds' size, system's age making repairs difficult

Doug Finke

Tuesday

Feb 26, 2008 at 12:01 AMFeb 26, 2008 at 8:47 PM

State officials said Monday they should know by the end of the week at the latest what’s caused a series of electrical failures that have plagued the Illinois State Fairgrounds for the past month, forcing the cancellation or relocation of major events and costing the local economy hundreds of thousands of dollars.

State officials said Monday they should know by the end of the week at the latest what’s caused a series of electrical failures that have plagued the Illinois State Fairgrounds for the past month, forcing the cancellation or relocation of major events and costing the local economy hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Both the Capital Development Board and state Department of Agriculture said the fairgrounds’ vast size — it covers 366 acres and has five electrical circuits running through it — and the fact most of its electrical system is underground contributed to the lengthy time needed to pinpoint the cause of the problem.

“You have to pull the cable out of its concrete conduit to perform the testing,” explained CDB spokesman Dave Blanchette. “They’ve pulled in staff from all over the country who are experts at high voltage to get it done as quickly and accurately as possible.”

The complexity of the problem and the lack of information about what it will take to fix it has been little solace for organizers of events such as the relocated Illinois Beef Expo and the canceled Illinois Horse Fair. Both draw thousands of visitors and pump at least $250,000 into Springfield’s economy, according to city tourism officials.

The state hired HDR, a national firm with an office in Springfield, to conduct the testing of the fairgrounds’ electrical system. A woman answering the phone at HDR last week referred questions to CDB, the agency that oversees all state construction projects.

“There’s a lot of cable to inspect, and it is underground,” said Agriculture spokesman Jeff Squibb. “There’s five different circuits on the fairgrounds that connect the buildings. They know the circuits (causing problems), but they don’t know where in the lines of those circuits the problem is occurring.”

Electricity for the fairgrounds is supplied by AmerenCILCO, although the distribution system is the state’s responsibility. The state has asked Ameren for technical assistance in solving the problem.

“The technical assistance they’ve requested is of the same type we’d provide to other commercial customers,” said Ameren spokesman Leigh Morris.

Morris said Monday that Ameren’s customer-confidentiality rule prevented him from offering more detailed information. He said, though, that with underground wiring, whether in a commercial or residential area, it is more difficult to locate the problem and repair it.

Springfield city officials also offered whatever help they could provide, but the state did not take the city up on the offer.

By the end of the week, the state should know not only what the problem is, but what is needed to repair it and how long that will take.

“It could be a couple of months,” Squibb said of the timetable for repairs. “I suspect the report should give us an idea how long that work will take.”

The fairgrounds has been virtually shut down since Feb. 8. Depending on how long the repairs take, dozens of other events, ranging from wedding receptions to organization fundraisers to major exhibitions, could be forced to move or be canceled.

“We realize the fairgrounds is heavily used and it is in everyone’s best interest to fix the problem as quickly as possible, while also ensuring the fairgrounds are safe for everyone who visits or works there,” Blanchette said.

Both he and Squibb declined to answer questions about widespread reports that the electrical problems caused an explosion two weeks ago powerful enough to send a heavy manhole cover flying. Instead, both offered nearly identical statements about multiple electrical failures on the grounds.

State Rep. Dan Reitz, D-Steeleville, said he met with Illinois Agriculture Director Charles Hartke two weeks ago and talked about the condition of the fairgrounds.

“Overall, the fairgrounds needs some major overhaul as far as the electrical systems,” Reitz said Monday. “They don’t have the money to make all of the upgrades they need to do. They fix the problems as they happen. It’s just another need, and it’s not in the budget.”

Squibb said no one disputes that the electrical system is near the end of its useful life, but it is a project too large to be handled within the department’s regular budget.

“This is a perfect example of a project that could and should be undertaken if a capital bill were approved,” he said. “In the absence of a capital bill, projects are undertaken on an emergency basis.”

Two members of the state fair advisory board said they don’t have any more details about the fairgrounds problems than the public.

“Once the electrical contractors find out what it is, they’ll know more,” said Gary Johnson of Newton.

Clarence Schutte of Hutsonville said he’s been busy with other things and doesn’t know what’s going on with the grounds.

“We’re not very active,” Schutte said of the board.

Doug Finke can be reached at (217) 788-1527.

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